Playing Out The Stretch

Games take on new meaning after Isles are eliminated; Sorokin shuts out NJ 1-0

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Good Morning, Islanders Country.

It felt inevitable for weeks and became all but a certainty after the embarrassing loss to the New York Rangers. However, there’s still a finality when you are officially eliminated from playoff contention, and there’s a little “e” next to your team’s name when you glimpse at the standings.

That happened to the New York Islanders in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Head Coach Patrick Roy wasn’t ready to answer any questions about the season in the post-game. We’ll have to wait a few days for that, but the players acknowledged that there were only meaningless games left to be played and reflected on coming up short

“This isn't a place we want to be,” captain Anders Lee said. “It was, and has been, a year where we left games on the table. We fought through a lot of adversity and did our best to keep our footing and give ourselves a chance in the last 15 games, but [there were] stretches at times that lasted a game or two too long and put us in a spot where it was out of our control.”